Burger Chain Axes Ad Campaign After a Tongue-Lashing From Vegetarians

One of the ads said, "You'll always remember when you gave up being a vegetarian."

Ever wonder if vegans look at juicy burger ads and secretly wish they could take a bite? One burger joint has officially pissed off the vegetarian community by suggesting that very exact thing. According to The Independent, London chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen angered the non-meat-eating community with an ad campaign that suggested even they would not be able to resist GBK's burgers.

The series of ads were posted mostly in London Underground stations and included a cow standing in a field with a caption that read "They eat grass so you don't have to," as well as another that stated "You'll always remember when you gave up being a vegetarian." The backlash was almost immediate as vegans, vegetarians, and animal rights advocates flooded social media speaking out against the campaign, with many tagging their posts #gourmetmurderkitchen and reworking the ads to suit their message.

Shame on @gbkburgers for advertising that alienates #veggies and #vegans and is flippant about killing animals. #gourmetmurderkitchen

— The Fat Carrot (@TheFatCarrot11) January 19, 2016

@PeterEgan6 @gbk Veganism is not a joke. Animals matter.Join us 2 demand #gourmetmurderkitchen remove insulting ads http://pic.twitter.com/upzUgOqHEv

— Animalista Untamed (@pamradford47) January 17, 2016

Dear Gourmet Burger Kitchen, resistance to meat is anything but futile https://t.co/yEbEXPDKOl http://pic.twitter.com/SeM9oAQR9c

— Stylist Magazine (@StylistMagazine) January 19, 2016

Some even Photoshopped the original ads to suit their message:

An A4 version of the subvert - feel free to print onto stickers ;) #GourmetMurderKitchen http://pic.twitter.com/ZmUoTp8Rgo

— Phil Lee (@Bill_Froog) January 16, 2016

#gourmetmurderkitchen withdraws offensive ad campaign after #vegan complaints: https://t.co/n60GhsQGU1 http://pic.twitter.com/Kq9hATyEhZ

— The Vegan Society (@TheVeganSociety) January 18, 2016

One vegetarian blogger also wrote the company an open letter, suggesting its money would have been better spent on creating a new vegan menu that "wouldn't have just alienated your next generation of customers (and their families and friends too)."

While at first the company defended its advertising choices, stating, "We're just channeling our inner-carnivore a little this January," it soon caved to the unrelenting pressure and apologized:

We've been reading the reaction to our latest advertising campaign and needless to say, we're quite taken aback. The...

Posted by Gourmet Burger Kitchen on Monday, January 18, 2016

The apology satisfied some who said they would still eat at the burger joint after the faux pas, while others were unimpressed and refused to ever eat at the restaurant again — though it seems unlikely vegetarians were the restaurant's target demographic anyway.

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